


Second chances

by Fleur_de_Violette



Series: Whumptober (more like hurt/comfortober-november-december) 2020 [15]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: (and this time it's Damian not Jason), Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Gen, Good Older Sibling Dick Grayson, Hurt Tim Drake, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of canon charcter death, Rescue, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29306565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fleur_de_Violette/pseuds/Fleur_de_Violette
Summary: The first plan had been for Robin and Red Robin to have an uneventful patrol.The second plan had been for Robin to wait for Nightwing and Black Bat before rushing in.The third plan had been for Damian to rescue Drake, all by himself, and maybe gain some approval in the process.None of them worked.Whumptober Day 5 – Rescue
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Series: Whumptober (more like hurt/comfortober-november-december) 2020 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984960
Comments: 6
Kudos: 107





	Second chances

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I think it’s safe to say that I was a little optimistic when I thought I could end whumptober in December. But with this fic, half of it is done! I’m having a lot of fun, so deadlines aren’t that important. 
> 
> I hope you’ll enjoy the fic!

Damian… hadn’t planned for the operation to go this way. 

The plan had been to wait for Grayson and Cain before infiltrating the gang’s lair and retrieving Drake. Actually, the original plan had been for Robin and Red Robin to patrol together while Batman was out of town and not to get in any trouble. But things had gone wrong. 

When didn’t they? 

Robin had managed to escape the ambush. Red Robin hadn’t been so lucky. 

Of course, Damian had called for backup. But Nightwing and Black Bat were covering for the Signal in the Narrows, on the other side of Gotham; Batman was in Palo Alto for Wayne related business, on the other side of the country; Batgirl and Blue Bird were on a mission in Vienna, on the other side of the world; and the Birds of Prey in Singapore, on the other, other side of the world. The Signal wasn’t out tonight, still recovering from a bout of the flu. Red Hood had been very vague about his whereabouts, but chances were he wasn’t anywhere close to their location.

Sure, his siblings were coming toward him to help, but by the time they would be there, who knows what these people could have done to Drake. He didn’t care much about the older boy, he didn’t. But Drake had been his partner for the night, and in some way, his responsibility. Abandoning one’s responsibility was unacceptable. That was something both the League and Batman agreed on. 

The plan had been to wait for Grayson and Cain before starting the rescue, but Damian was capable. He was strong, he was Robin. And Robin didn’t abandon people in need, even when these people were as annoying as Drake. Plus, it was a chance for him to prove that he was more than capable of handling himself. Maybe the others would start trusting him a little more to patrol on his own after he rescued Drake all by himself. 

There had been a misstep at the _rescuing Drake_ part. Things went wrong, again, and Damian ended up with a needle beneath his jaw and his hands tied up behind his back. As he felt the sedative take a hold of him, his gaze found his brother in the same position. He seemed unarmed and Damian let out a breath. He was glad because it meant Red Robin wouldn’t be a burden when they escaped, not because he’d been worried, of course.

“What are you doing here?” whispered his brother as soon as their enemies were far enough away they couldn’t hear them. 

Damian squirmed so he was closer to his ally. The drug was acting fast and his body was having a hard time responding to him. “I came to save you.”

Drake gave him an unimpressed look. “Good job,” he said, sarcastically. 

Damian felt his blood boil inside his veins. At least he tried, didn’t he? He could have very well let Drake alone with his fate and go on with his life. 

“Anyway, don’t move, pretend to be asleep,” ordered Drake, and Damian silenced his anger. He knew he needed to keep his emotions in control at all times for the sake of the mission. Again, this was something the League and Batman both agreed on. Drake was smart, not that he would ever say it to the older boy’s face. He probably had a plan. 

The men who captured them were apparently having a fight about what they were going to do with them. Good. The more time they wasted, the more time it gave for Nightwing and Black Bat to find them. Apparently, a mountain of muscle came to the same conclusion, as he promptly informed his coworkers that they were losing time and should dispose of the little bats immediately. _Little bats_ being the exact words he used. 

Unfortunately, Damian couldn’t do much more than glare at the guy as he was raised from the ground as if he was made of feathers and tossed out the window. There was some yelling from the warehouse, but Damian didn’t give his enemy the satisfaction of making any sound. Instead, he twisted his body the best he could to minimize the damage. 

He was glad the man had tossed him into the sea and not the ground. This way, the impact would bring nothing more than some bruises. 

But then what? 

The drug was running to his veins, preventing him from swimming properly. He could thrash around and try to breathe every time his head miraculously went over water, but he couldn’t do more than that. 

Panic seized his heart. Was it the end? He cursed his own arrogance and foolishness. Once again, he ran right to his end trying to help a brother. 

The memory of a sword piercing his abdomen was all too fresh in his mind. 

He didn’t want that. 

Not again, not so soon. 

Something was suddenly bringing him up, toward the surface. Damian took a deep breath the second he could, savoring the taste of the night air. The taste of life. 

He then got a look at what saved him. Or, more accurately, who saved him. 

Drake had apparently managed to untie his bonds and either jumped or was thrown out after him. He made quick work of Damian’s, freeing him. The drug was still an issue. 

“How… can you move so well?” asked Damian between breaths as they slowly made their way to the shore, still clenched to each other. 

“I’m bigger… and they gave it to me earlier,” answered Drake as he fought to keep them both afloat. Given how hard it seemed to be, the poison probably hadn’t fully left his system yet. 

Drake cursed when they reached the shore. Damian could easily see why; the men were waiting for them. 

As soon as they were on the ground, gunfire started raining upon them. Red Robin threw a batarang at a nearby fishing boat, expertly making dead fish rain on their enemies. Robin located a container at the same time, taking advantage of the confusion to roll both his brother and himself inside, hidden behind sacks of what he hoped was flour. 

Neither of them were in any shape to fight right now. The best plan was to wait for backup and hope backup would be there before their enemies found them.

That’s when Damian saw the blood. He cursed. It was all around, on him, on Drake, on the sacks. He couldn’t feel any pain, but with the drug still cursing his veins, he couldn’t be sure. “Red Robin, are you hurt?” 

The older boy gritted his teeth. “It’s nothing.”

The amount of blood didn’t seem to be nothing. Damian cursed again, cataloguing his brother until he found the bullet wound in his thigh. Drake was still conscious, so his femoral artery probably hadn’t been hit, but the blood loss was still worrying. 

Okay, Damian had to admit it: he was worried. He quickly unclipped his cape to make a makeshift bandage, trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” he said as he worked. “Help will be here soon.” 

Help should have been there already. 

“Damian,” murmured his brother and Damian fought the urge to reprimand him about names on the field. “It’s gonna be okay.” 

Damian bit his lower lip. “That’s what I just said.” 

“No, Damian. Look at me.” 

Damian forced himself to look up from where he was working on his brother’s leg to see his face. Drake looked less determined than resigned. Damian hated it. 

“If they come this way, I want you to get up and run.” 

Damian tightened the makeshift bandage a little more than necessary. “I’m not taking orders from you.” 

“You can’t protect us both…” 

“Don’t tell me what I can’t do.” 

In his state, he knew he couldn’t take the men. He was pretty sure he couldn’t run either. But Drake didn’t need to know that. The other boy was growing more and more distressed as time passed. 

“Damian, you can’t… not again.” 

Drake didn’t have to be more explicit about what he couldn’t do again. The feeling was still very present inside his head, in all of them. It was funny, in a sad way. He hadn’t realized how much his death would affect his family until after he died and came back to life.

But he hadn’t given up back then, and he didn’t plan on giving up now. He didn’t plan on letting Drake give up. 

His brother seemed to have realized that he wasn’t going to leave and save himself. 

“Damian, I…”

He shut up when they heard a noise on top of the container. Damian took a batarang from his utility belt. 

He would fight. He would fight until he didn’t have any once of life left in him. Drake might be weak, Drake might be ready to give up, but Damian would not. 

He was the son of Batman. He was the grandson of the Demon’s head. He was Robin. 

And Robin didn’t give up. 

His body tensed like a bow ready to fire. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he knew one thing. He wouldn’t abandon Drake to his death. 

Either both of them lived or… he refused the alternative. Both of them would live. 

Suddenly, he noticed something about the footsteps next to them. They sounded familiar. Safe. He relaxed. 

“Everything is gonna be fine,” he murmured to his brother. “Batman is here.” 

Sure enough, the man appeared next to them. 

“Nightwing,” whispered Drake, relief evident in his voice. Damian felt his cheeks burn, but thankfully, no one called him on his name mistake. 

His oldest brother crouched down next to them. 

“Can you walk?” he asked Damian. Damian gritted his teeth. Put his legs beneath him and pushed...

…only to fall back immediately. Grayson bit his lower lip. “Okay,” he said, as if he was making up a plan. “Okay.” 

“The kid first,” said Drake, quickly. 

Damian turned toward him. “What?” 

“You can’t carry us both,” explained the injured vigilante. Damian felt his blood boil. How dared Drake make this kind of decision? Damian might have been younger and weakened, but he wasn’t the one slowly losing blood. 

Grayson didn’t give him the time to protest. “Don’t tell me what I can’t do,” he said, unknowingly mimicking Damian’s words from earlier. He then turned toward the youngest. 

“Damian, if I help you on my back, do you think you can hold on?” 

Damian nodded. This, he could do. He wouldn’t be a burden. Grayson helped him on his back, and he held on to his shoulders with all his remaining strength. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep him from falling. It had to be. 

Just as Grayson picked him up, Drake’s eyes widened. “Wait. Is Black Bat… Is she fighting alone?” 

The oldest smiled. “No. She isn’t.” 

As Nightwing emerged from the container, Damian could see the men who hurt them struggling to fight the fury of Black Bat. Next to her, as noisy as she was silent, all guns blaring and yelling loudly, was Red Hood. On top of the two bats, the men were also struggling to dodge a rain of arrows, courtesy of Arsenal.

Drake smirked. “I see you called the cavalry.”

Grayson let out something between a grunt and a laugh, panting with the effort. Damian could easily understand why. He was still lighter than all his siblings, but was growing more and more each day, muscles developing thanks to his daily training and Pennyworth’s nutritious food. Drake was only slightly smaller and lighter than Grayson. The oldest hadn’t lied when he told them he could carry them, but that didn’t mean it was easy.

Thankfully, the Batmobile wasn’t far, and Grayson quickly settled them inside before starting the autopilot and rushing to inspect Drake’s wound. 

Damian didn’t say a word. Now that the feelings of fear and anxiety were melting away, guilt took over. Had he waited for backup, had he not been captured, had he been more resistant to the drug, Drake wouldn’t have gotten hurt. He wouldn’t have had that look of desperation on his face. 

The words _“the kid first”_ still reasonated inside Damian’s brain, filling him with anger. He could tell himself he was angry with Drake, but really, he knew better. It was himself he was angry with, and his own mistakes, his own weakness. 

Finally, the car stopped in the cave and Alfred hurried to them, taking Drake away. Grayson moved to him and took him in his arms. Despite telling himself he didn’t have any right to, Damian enjoyed the warmth. 

“Come on, kiddo. Let’s get you some dry clothes. The drug should stop acting soon.” 

Damian nodded as he was settled in a cot. It was only when Grayson returned with clothes and a towel that he asked: “Are you angry with me?”

His oldest brother started drying his hair kindly. “Should I be?” 

Damian closed his eyes. “I disobeyed. I went in without waiting for backup. I got captured.” 

Grayson sighed, and lowered himself until he was facing Damian. “You did, and I wish you hadn’t been captured. I wish Tim hadn’t gotten hurt, but I get why you did it. I understand how hard it is to have to wait when someone you… when someone is in danger.”

Damian tutted. “Father would have been angry.” 

Grayson sighed. “Maybe he would have been, but I’m not your… I’m not Bruce. And I’m not angry. I was scared. When you stopped answering your comms, I was so scared. And I don’t want to be angry.”

Damian didn’t know what to say to this. He knew how badly his death had affected his oldest brother. He also knew all too well the fear of losing someone you already lost once again. After all, hadn’t he come back only to learn that his mentor had died at the hand of their father and his friends’ evil doubles? In the end, it had all been a lie, but that didn’t stop him from waking up in the darkest hours of the night, heart hammering with fear and Grayson’s name on his lips. So, he did what his brother did during these nights: he extended his arm to Grayson’s shoulder, inducing physical contact before saying, “I’m here. And Drake will be fine.”

Grayson smiled. “Thank you, kiddo.” He let some time pass before stating, “You were scared for Tim too, right? That’s why you went in without waiting for backup.” 

Damian bit his lip. The feelings of worry, shame and helplessness he had felt the whole night were hard to admit, even to Grayson.

The noise of motorcycles arriving in the cave saved him from answering. As soon as she set foot on the ground, Cain walked toward him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He raised his head to look at her. “I’m okay,” he said. 

“Drake is, too.”

She nodded, but didn’t seem that convinced just yet. 

Grayson stood, looking at Harper. “Thanks for coming. I don’t what we would have done without your help.” Cain seemed slightly offended at that, as if it implied she couldn’t beat the gangsters by herself, but said nothing.

Harper ruffled Grayson’s hair. “Anytime, Short-one. You know you can count on me.” 

Grayson closed his eyes. He looked tired. “Thank you, Roy. Really.” 

Damian felt something tighten in his throat. He didn’t know the details, but he knew a lot of things, seemingly unforgivable things had happened between these two. Yet, they were still very close, and were able to move on from their past. Could Damian too, one day, have a bond this strong with someone else? Of course, he had Jon, but his relationship with the younger boy didn’t even come close to what he was seeing.

He was pulled away from his thoughts by Pennyworth comming out of the medbay. 

“Master Tim did wonderfully well, and his injury shouldn’t result in any complications. He is currently receiving blood, but I’m confident he’ll be able to move upstairs in about two hours.” The butler turned toward Harper. 

“Mister Roy, would you like some tea? I have one that I think will be exactly to your taste.”

The redhead put his hands in the air. “Oh, no… I don’t want to bother you…” he protested weakly.

“Nonsense,” the old man stopped him. “You’re not bothering the slightest, and I want to thank you for helping my charges. I also have some cookies that I can put in a box to go home for you, since I recall a young lady who is particularly fond of them.”

The mention of his daughter seemed to make Harper give into the suggestion and he followed Pennyworth upstairs. 

Damian turned toward Grayson. “I’ll be fine changing on my own, the drug is dissipating. You can go check on Drake if you want.” 

His oldest brother looked at him, then at Cain, silently asking her something (probably to watch Damian, which he didn’t need) before getting up and going into the medbay.

Of course, he ruffled Damian’s hair in an annoying gesture of comfort before leaving. 

* * *

Damian was the first to return to the main part of the cave after changing. He looked at the medbay. Would Drake want to see him after what had happened? After a short time of reflection, he decided to check on him while staying hidden outside the door. What the older boy didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. 

“I understand,” he heard Grayson say. “Believe me, Tim, I understand.” 

Damian stopped breathing, making himself as quiet as possible to listen to the conversation. 

“Robin was taken away from you, without your consent.” 

“Dick, it’s not…” 

“I’m not saying this to blame myself, I’m just stating facts. We both know why I did what I did, and we both know that there were a thousand better ways I could have handled it. This isn’t the point. The point is, Robin was taken away from you. Given to another child, and you hated him. You were jealous and resentful. Tell me I’m wrong.” 

“You’re not wrong,” Drake grumbled. 

“But then, that kid…” Grayson took a deep breath. “But then that kid died in a horrible way, and you told yourself… You told yourself that if you ever got a second chance, you’ll make sure everything would be different. You would make sure you were a better big brother.” 

Drake didn’t say anything. 

“And, by some miracle of the universe, you got your second chance, and you got your little brother back. But… things aren’t as perfect as you expected them to be, and it’s hard to be the big brother you want to be.” 

Again, silent agreement from Drake. 

“Believe me, if someone gets it, it’s me.” 

“How do you deal with it?” asked Drake.

Grayson sighed. “Time. Time and effort. I don’t know. I wish I had a good answer to give you, I really do.”

A heavy hand landed on Damian’s shoulder. He raised his head to see Todd.

“Come on kiddo, let’s go to bed.” 

Damian looked at him. “I didn’t…” 

The grip on his shoulder tightened. “Yeah. Me neither.” 

* * *

Damian hadn’t slept much during that night. He mostly thought of what he could do to mend his relationship with Drake. He didn’t know what he should do, but he knew that he didn’t want their relationship to stay that way. Had things gone wrong the night before, well, worse than they did, he probably wouldn’t have forgiven himself. But, they hadn’t. He got another chance. He didn’t know how many more chances life was going to give him. He didn’t plan to waste this one. 

With that in mind, he found himself opening Drake’s bedroom door. The older boy raised his head from his laptop at the sound, but Damian didn’t let him the time to talk.

“My name is Damian Wayne. I am the son of Batman and Talia Al Ghul. While I do not agree with my mother’s and grandfather’s ideals, I cherish both my heritages. On top of that, I am proud to carry a third heritage. I am Robin. I am not ready to give up that title. I carry the legacy of four other Robins, and I hold them all in high esteem. It’s an honor to claim this name.” 

He took a deep breath. 

“Timothy Drake Wayne, can we start again?” 

For a second, Drake was silent, and Damian wondered if he said something stupid or hurtful. But then the other boy started laughing loudly.

“Did you,” he said between wheezes of laughter, “Did you practice this?”

Damian felt heat coming to his cheeks. “Shut up.” 

“Oh, no, this is so good. Can I tell Jason the part where you hold all previous Robins in high esteem? Oh, can I tell Steph?”

Damian turned toward the door. “I’m leaving.” 

“No, Damian, wait.” 

When Damian turned back, Drake was breathing deeply and removing tears of laughter from his face. 

“In all seriousness,” said his brother, “I appreciate it, really. I know it came out a little awkward because you’re… well… you. But really, it means a lot.” 

Damian suddenly felt very small. “Is that a yes?” 

Drake nodded. “Yeah, but I hope you know that… if we want to make things right, it’s gonna take a lot of effort. From both of us.” 

Damian nodded solemnly. “But you think this is possible? To go past the harm that has been done?”

Drake looked at his hands. All traces of his previous hilarity had vanished. “I think it’s possible, yeah. Hard, but possible.” 

“Like Grayson and Harper.” Damian noted, remembering their interaction from the night before. 

“Like Dick and Roy, yeah,” said Drake, pensive. “I like the sound of that.” 

“However,” Damian warned, “you do not want to find out what will happen if you call me _Short-one_ ” 

Drake laughed again. This time, Damian felt his heart lightening as well. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! As usual, many thanks to Justjellyjackal for beta-reading!


End file.
